DEUS EX Human Revolution
One goal, three different approaches. It’s DEUS EX all right…
Eidos Montreal’s recent Deus Ex presentation had a clear agenda: to prove that its game is worthy of the Deus Ex name. So they showed one scenario—hero Adam Jensen’s retrieval of a neural implant from a corpse locked deep in a police station— solved three different ways.
The first approach is all about direct conflict. Adam enters the police station, but his way is blocked by cops. He pulls a gun, taking down two of them before diving for cover behind a photocopier. A glowing outline appears around it, and around a number of other nearby objects. What the…? Ah, a strength augmentation has been activated. Adam picks the pho- tocopier up, and moves it to a better position. This is already better than most cover-based shooters: you decide where the cover is. From his new position, Adam akes down two policemen, leaning out from behind the copier when he can, and blind-firing when it gets hairy.
With his targets down, he emerges, taking out a guard overlooking a room full of officers. Another aug, essentially a wall-hack, shows Adam where everyone is. He makes his way to the floor below, finds cover and opens fire.
The police station lights up, and with it outlines of every soul in a neck-snappable radius
A cop has found his own cover: a quick dip into the menu and Adam adds an explosive bullet mod to his hand-cannon. He fires at the wall behind the sheltering cop and the back-blast takes him out. The others unlucky enough to get in the way of the explosive rounds pinwheel about the station. Adam changes to a non-lethal gun: it still propels cops through the air, but this way you’re not left with their orphaned children on your conscience.
At the locked morgue door he pops opens his inventory and combines a grenade with a “mine template.” His übered-up mine blows the door down. After killing the morgue attendant it’s back to the start for the “social” run.
That means Adam using his husky voice to grumble his way into the police station. Wayne, the cop at the front desk, is an old colleague: the two were once given the order to shoot an augmented child, which Adam refused but Wayne carried out. Now he’s resentful of Adam, who he thinks has risen while he’s been stuck at a desk job. Conversational choices are made from a wheel: in this case, “crush,” “absolve” or “plead,” and despite my psychic begging, Adam goes with the “absolve” option over “crush.” It’s a fair decision: Wayne’s clearly broken over his life choices, and Adam’s forgiveness is something he needed. He also looks like the saddest man alive. I’m not sure I could hit the “crush” button on the human equivalent of a limping kitten.
In any case, for the purposes of this demo things have been simplified: for more complex conversations Adam will use augs to monitor heartbeat and sweat levels. Winning the conversation leaves Adam free to explore the station—a good way to collect additional information. He casually strolls into the morgue through the area he shot up previously. This time he talks to the morgue attendant.
The third option is the stealthy approach. It’s the most augmentation-heavy play- through. Adam slips around the side of the building, ducking behind a patrol and then heading for a high chain link fence. He moves a dumpster using the strength aug, jumps on it and over the fence. He climbs a fire escape to a locked door: it requires a higher hacking skill than he has.
Adam looks at his stats. You can select body parts to enhance, and Adam has spare XP. He boosts his cranial slot, and now he’s smart enough to hack the door. Cue an Uplink-style minigame, where you have to access a node before you’re traced.
We’re inside, and Adam’s on the third floor. He uses the wall-hack aug again. The police station lights up, and with it outlines of every soul in a neck-snappable radius. Someone is patrolling a balcony. Adam edges close to him, dodging from cover to cover, staying crouched down. When two more cops appear, he activates a cloaking device and crawls past them.
Down in the bowels of the station a cop guards a security door. Adam avoids him, sneaking into a vent that leads to a vantage point above two other guards. But there’s a vent cover, and stealth requires not kicking clanging squares of metal, so he backs off and returns to the lone guard. As luck would have it he’s now standing with his back to the open vent. Adam snaps his neck. The doors only open in the presence of a recognized guard, but it doesn’t matter if they’re neck- snapped and being dragged by the ankle. Once through the doors, Adam rummages through the cop’s pockets, finding a PDA with the morgue door code on it. He’s in. Again.
I never played Deus Ex with such rigid rules of engagement, but it’s still thrilling to see Human Revolution mirror the capabilities of its predecessors this way.
One goal, three different approaches. It’s DEUS EX all right…
Eidos Montreal’s recent Deus Ex presentation had a clear agenda: to prove that its game is worthy of the Deus Ex name. So they showed one scenario—hero Adam Jensen’s retrieval of a neural implant from a corpse locked deep in a police station— solved three different ways.
The first approach is all about direct conflict. Adam enters the police station, but his way is blocked by cops. He pulls a gun, taking down two of them before diving for cover behind a photocopier. A glowing outline appears around it, and around a number of other nearby objects. What the…? Ah, a strength augmentation has been activated. Adam picks the pho- tocopier up, and moves it to a better position. This is already better than most cover-based shooters: you decide where the cover is. From his new position, Adam akes down two policemen, leaning out from behind the copier when he can, and blind-firing when it gets hairy.
With his targets down, he emerges, taking out a guard overlooking a room full of officers. Another aug, essentially a wall-hack, shows Adam where everyone is. He makes his way to the floor below, finds cover and opens fire.
The police station lights up, and with it outlines of every soul in a neck-snappable radius
A cop has found his own cover: a quick dip into the menu and Adam adds an explosive bullet mod to his hand-cannon. He fires at the wall behind the sheltering cop and the back-blast takes him out. The others unlucky enough to get in the way of the explosive rounds pinwheel about the station. Adam changes to a non-lethal gun: it still propels cops through the air, but this way you’re not left with their orphaned children on your conscience.
At the locked morgue door he pops opens his inventory and combines a grenade with a “mine template.” His übered-up mine blows the door down. After killing the morgue attendant it’s back to the start for the “social” run.
That means Adam using his husky voice to grumble his way into the police station. Wayne, the cop at the front desk, is an old colleague: the two were once given the order to shoot an augmented child, which Adam refused but Wayne carried out. Now he’s resentful of Adam, who he thinks has risen while he’s been stuck at a desk job. Conversational choices are made from a wheel: in this case, “crush,” “absolve” or “plead,” and despite my psychic begging, Adam goes with the “absolve” option over “crush.” It’s a fair decision: Wayne’s clearly broken over his life choices, and Adam’s forgiveness is something he needed. He also looks like the saddest man alive. I’m not sure I could hit the “crush” button on the human equivalent of a limping kitten.
In any case, for the purposes of this demo things have been simplified: for more complex conversations Adam will use augs to monitor heartbeat and sweat levels. Winning the conversation leaves Adam free to explore the station—a good way to collect additional information. He casually strolls into the morgue through the area he shot up previously. This time he talks to the morgue attendant.
The third option is the stealthy approach. It’s the most augmentation-heavy play- through. Adam slips around the side of the building, ducking behind a patrol and then heading for a high chain link fence. He moves a dumpster using the strength aug, jumps on it and over the fence. He climbs a fire escape to a locked door: it requires a higher hacking skill than he has.
Adam looks at his stats. You can select body parts to enhance, and Adam has spare XP. He boosts his cranial slot, and now he’s smart enough to hack the door. Cue an Uplink-style minigame, where you have to access a node before you’re traced.
We’re inside, and Adam’s on the third floor. He uses the wall-hack aug again. The police station lights up, and with it outlines of every soul in a neck-snappable radius. Someone is patrolling a balcony. Adam edges close to him, dodging from cover to cover, staying crouched down. When two more cops appear, he activates a cloaking device and crawls past them.
Down in the bowels of the station a cop guards a security door. Adam avoids him, sneaking into a vent that leads to a vantage point above two other guards. But there’s a vent cover, and stealth requires not kicking clanging squares of metal, so he backs off and returns to the lone guard. As luck would have it he’s now standing with his back to the open vent. Adam snaps his neck. The doors only open in the presence of a recognized guard, but it doesn’t matter if they’re neck- snapped and being dragged by the ankle. Once through the doors, Adam rummages through the cop’s pockets, finding a PDA with the morgue door code on it. He’s in. Again.
I never played Deus Ex with such rigid rules of engagement, but it’s still thrilling to see Human Revolution mirror the capabilities of its predecessors this way.
